Robert MacIntyre insists his chances of a Ryder Cup debut in September will not be defined by how he performs in his DS Automobiles Italian Open defence this week.
The Scot defeated reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick at the first play-off hole in his first appearance at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club last September to win his second DP World Tour title.
That performance saw MacIntyre make the ideal start to the Ryder Cup qualifying race, but he arrives on the outskirts of Rome outside the automatic berths for Luke Donald’s team.
Asked about the inevitable pre-tournament Ryder Cup chatter in the background, MacIntyre said: “I worried about that for the last Ryder Cup, worried about what could be.
“This year, I’m not worried at all about what could be. What will be will be and I’ll be going out there to play golf because you enjoy it.
“This week is not going to define my season. I get it’s on the golf course where the Ryder Cup is going to be. Course set up is pretty similar to last year. I did it on that golf course.
“But, to be honest, I am not worried just about this week and there is so much golf to be played and it’s not going to define the season, good or bad.
“We’ll just keep marching on and working hard and hopefully we make it there come September.”
MacIntyre comes into the week off the back of a third consecutive top ten finish in South Korea which lifted him to tenth on the European Points List for the Ryder Cup.
The 26-year-old has implemented a new approach to staying clam on the course and is confident his game is on the right track as he looks to sustain his recent run of form.
“My game is good,” he said.
“I’ve done some nice testing over the off period when I had five weeks off.
“I’ve just come out and tried to compete and win golf tournaments.
“I’ve come close the last couple of weeks and just not quite had it on the Sunday. I’ve played solid for the main part of the year and I’m looking forward to a good season.”
MacIntyre will play alongside fellow Ryder Cup contenders Guido Migliozzi and Rasmus Højgaard over the first two rounds, with Marco Simone hosting Italy’s national Open for a third consecutive year.
“The golf course has changed slightly since last year,” he reflected. “They’ve made some nice changes to it.
“The rough is as thick as it was last year, so it is not going to be easy by any means. It is a little bit tight on some holes but again, there are going to be opportunities.
"Some guys are going to go low at certain times.
“You have just got to hang in there and come Sunday just take your chances.”
